Depends on what interface the new boards take.
The interface of the boards for S2 upgrade kits depends just on BITMAIN's decision to keep their word about that upgrade kits. I do think so.
Topic: ANTMINER S2 upgrade kit? EDIT: BITMAIN WHERE ARE YOU?!?! - page 4. (Read 35759 times)
The interface of the boards for S2 upgrade kits depends just on BITMAIN's decision to keep their word about that upgrade kits. I do think so.
With the announcement of the new Bitmain BM1385 chips it could be possible for some upgraded boards for the S2. Depends on what interface the new boards take. I thought I heard them comment they would like to get back to the pci-e backplane.
i think we can kiss the S2 upgrade kits goodbye
May be one day... Once... They... Will... 
Well, it seems this is where Antminer was working on... The S5+
I think they let the S2's bleed to death
http://shop.bitmain.cn/goods.php?id=47
I think they let the S2's bleed to death
http://shop.bitmain.cn/goods.php?id=47
Some of us didn't buy them direct from shitmain. We get nothing lol
They already gave us a coupons for buying S4s.
...so it should stand to reason that they can find out which former customers let all those S4 coupons lapse.
They already gave us a coupons for buying S4s.
...so it should stand to reason that they can find out which former customers let all those S4 coupons lapse.
The only shame they bring on themselves is for the second time saying it's in the works, it's almost available and then nothing. Companies grow too large the greedier they get and lose transparency. The only hope is they come when they release their new offering.
They already gave us a coupons for buying S4s.
I'm assuming at this point that it won't happen. We're likely only a month or two from the S6/S7s, so it doesn't make much sense to retrofit S2s at this point.
Denis
Denis
Any updates on the S2 Upgrade? 
Be great to get the upgrade! Have my S2 running off a wind turbine, would be nice to be able get more hashing power out of it
Be great to get the upgrade! Have my S2 running off a wind turbine, would be nice to be able get more hashing power out of it
I did not realize it was 3T on 1 KW. That is more impressive then I thought it was. I could have seen them wanting to sell out of S4+ before releasing them if those specs are close.
But with S4+ sold out. I'm not sure what they are really waiting for. I think the silence still means a good chance they will not end up doing this.
not wanting to grow the network unnecessarily?
As a small customer a kit would be great if you could upgrade. But I just don't see it, they have been quiet to long.
Why can't the "entire unit" be arranged like S2, i.e. backplate+blades? In that case the blades can be produced at the same factory both for some new miner and (since the blades are compatible) for S2s?.. The more quantity of produced items - the less unit cost, right?
I say wrap it up and go home, Bitmain obviously has no plans on producing and distributing these any time soon or more likely ever. Maybe the S6 or 7 will actually be upgraded in the future but I think the 2 is too far done.
I think at this point they would rather sell a whole miner vs an upgrade kit. I could guess some of the reasons for it. Most likely higher sales for entire unit, lowers costs of making it. Have more large scale buyers on whole miner.
As a small customer a kit would be great if you could upgrade. But I just don't see it, they have been quiet to long.
You've gotta admit the S2 being a larger 4u case allows larger/quieter fans and with the backplane the simplest upgradeable design.
True but it also has 10 pcb's of bords compared to 4 with good sized heatsinks. So I could see pro's and con's on both sides.
I don't think it really matters though..... as I personally dont see a upgrade kit coming at this point.
You've gotta admit the S2 being a larger 4u case allows larger/quieter fans and with the backplane the simplest upgradeable design.
Novak and I talked for an hour or two yesterday, ironing out some dimensioning and such for what we want to do for a big miner. We're probably going to end up publishing the mechanical and electrical standards we'll be working within in case someone else wants to make boards for the same platform. But that discussion has digressed farther from the point of Bitmain putting out an S2 Upgrade, so it should probably be taken up somewhere else.
It appears that I currently own two S2, one stock unit and one "kit" which I built a case for, so I've been looking forward to the prospect of an S2 Upgrade as well. The numbers are really promising with BM1384 - just like with the BM1380, high density low clock efficiency is about twice that of the high-clock low density of the S5. Maybe when they start moving an S7 with new chips around 0.35W/GH (I hope) they'll be more inclined to release a 0.3W/GH S2 upgrade. They've already demonstrated with the S4+ that they're willing to run out new designs with previous-gen chips; unfortunately they also have been demonstrating a willingness to sell things for much more than they're realistically worth (which is funny because they also sold out of everything even at those prices...) so I'd expect the upgrade kit to cost about as much as 2x S7 if the hashrate and efficiency are maybe 10% better than a pair of S7. Remember the S3 upgrade kit only cost about $40 less than just buying an S3. All the expensive-to-manufacture parts are being replaced but all the expensive-to-ship parts aren't, so they'll use that logic to keep customer savings marginal.
Even so, I'd buy one if they made one. It'd be pretty sexy. A GekkoScience-built upgrade kit is not impossible, but also not what I'm looking to work on until a few other projects are finished. Although... I just had an interesting idea so I'm gonna have to spend some time probing the backplane and see if it's even possible. Each board has specific data lines run to its socket and they're all multiplexed together on the control board. If I could use a pair per socket for USB signal (will require testing, noise and such being a big concern) I could cook up a new control board with a basic SBC attached via USB to some hub chips and still use a generic interface, just with the specific form-factor and backplane connection. If I'm thinking right, the WASP guys were looking into a USB-pairs backplane standard a while ago, and not because it was a bad idea. New boards could be built in the same shape with whoever's chips, with a standard USB converter chip to whatever base protocol the chips use and a few additional tie-ins like temp monitoring and voltage control. Updating cgminer on the control SBC would get new drivers for new boards, but the controller hardware itself wouldn't need to change at all. Hm... a lot of that would inherit from TypeZero design work so it might not be too bad to append something like that to the list of potential projects - unless anyone else wanted to work on it.
That sounds really interesting. I've always thought that modular miners with standardized and easily replaceable hashing boards was the way to go.
In my area an Antminer S2 is highly sough after because we have low electricity rates and can make more money with an S2 then with one S3.
And I am sure in your area there are people who live in apartment buildings or get free electricity at work and would take the S2. You're best bet is to just sell them. You might be able to get $100-$200 for them. They sell like CRAZY on ebay and amazon.
Try $200 plus still on Ebay. Posting another one today but hate dealing with the shipping - they don't travel well unlike the S4. Just impatient in the long wait that may never come. It would still be wise for Bitmain to release these kits as their are far more S2's in the world than S4's or S4+'s. The hashing power of the kit was suppose to be around 2+ th when they first announced it. And like beating a dead horse, would have been great back in the first quarter of this year. And I am sure in your area there are people who live in apartment buildings or get free electricity at work and would take the S2. You're best bet is to just sell them. You might be able to get $100-$200 for them. They sell like CRAZY on ebay and amazon.
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